The pros and cons of classic car ownership in New York City

No, it's not a Triumph, but that is New York City in the background

For most of us, the logistics of owning and driving a classic car are fairly simple: Stick it in the garage, drive it when we want, drive it where we want. If you live in a giant metropolis – like, say, New York City – the logistics become a little more complicated. On the My Hemmings pages, Aktifspeed gives us the rundown on the ups and downs of owning his 1974 Triumph TR6 in the Big Apple.

When most people think of classic car cities or destinations, places like Monterey, Amelia Island, and even Scottsdale come to mind.  How about New York City?  Fughetaboudit…  Now just wait a New York minute and let’s start with a little bit of history.

I’m sure most of you have heard of the automotive iconoclast Max Hoffman.  His import car showroom on Park Avenue introduced many Americans to marques such as Jaguar, BMW, and Porsche among others.  Fast forward some 60 years and you still have one of the greatest concentrations of wealth and car enthusiasts in the country here in NYC.  This allows the well–heeled locals to bring out their pampered exotics to shows like the Greenwich Concours d’ Elegance just a few miles north of the city, the Antique Auto Club of America’s regional chapter show in Queens, and we’re hoping to see a return of the New York City Concours d’ Elegance in 2010 after a great show in 2007.

But where do Ralph Lauren and Jerry Seinfeld store their classics, and can you park yours there as well? (Trust me, you can’t…)  What if you’re a die-hard classic car guy who happens to live in a city of 8 million people who also happens to live in a small one-bedroom apartment with his girlfriend?  Our combined income may seem like a lot to someone who’s never lived in New York City, but here we’re just average middle-class folks.  Having a car in NYC is seen as either a supreme luxury or a waste of money with the countries largest public transportation system just outside our doorstep.  But most people who have cars in the city don’t take them to work, they use them to channel their own inner Snake Pliskin and drive to, “Escape from New York”.

Now I happen to own a 1974 Triumph TR6 that I’ve had since my senior year in high school and have almost completed a rolling restoration of the car this year.  I’m sure many of you can sympathize with my difficulty in trying to explain to my ladyfriend why we have a limited-use (optimistically 3 seasons), 34 year-old car that has a thirst for super-premium unleaded; Versus a very reliable, practical, but appliance-like vehicle from the Land of the Rising Sun.

Nevertheless, my powers of persuasion prevailed and instead of new-car dealer prowling, I’m riding my bicycle all over the neighborhood in search of a suitable garage for the Triumph in Manhattan… as if apartment hunting wasn’t enough!  Now there are 2 types of parking garages in New York, valet parking and self-parking.  Valet parking sounds wonderful.  Drop your car at the garage entrance, leave the keys in the ignition, get a stub and walk away.  If referencing one eighties movie already didn’t date me, I give you Ferris Bueller’s Day Off.  You know the scene I’m talking about so valet parking is out of the question.

Now I’ve got to find a parking garage in Manhattan that I can park and lock the car myself, is reasonably close to my apartment, and does not cost more to rent than a monthly payment on the above-mentioned new car from Japan.  I better tune-up the bicycle as I’ve got a lot of pedaling ahead of me.

After riding the equivalent of The Tour de France through the streets of Manhattan, I came to the conclusion that there aren’t that many self-parking garages left in the city.  However I credit my girlfriend for knowing how to best use that newfangled interweb thing to find a great self-parking garage one express subway stop from our apartment.  And we’re happy that only 20% of our monthly rent money goes to parking the car!  Believe it or not, that’s actually about average by city standards.  After installing a battery kill switch, various steering immobilization devices, and numerous padlocks on the car cover, I can finally sleep at night knowing my classic is as safe as I can make it in the heart of the city.

Am I nervous motoring the diminutive British roadster among the thousands of full-size yellow Crown Victoria’s driven by hacks with questionable driving abilities?  Does my pulse quicken when I’m between a city bus and a huge armored car and I know I’m waaaay below their mirrors?  Of course, but all of those fears were forgotten as I recently drove into Gotham from Long Island.

I was at a meeting of the Long Island Triumph Association where by the way, you won’t meet a friendlier group of New Yorkers anywhere, even if the majority does live in the suburbs.  At the meeting I met a fellow Manhattenite who recently purchased a TR6.  His car was stored on Long Island so I gave him a ride back to the city in my Triumph.  The whole trip back was spent patting each other on the back about how great our cars are and discussing what we were going to do to improve our classics.  As we approached the city, that instantly recognizable skyline was revealed and we saw two powerful beams of light pierce the night and bounce off the low hanging clouds above the city.  It was September 11th and our conversation gave pause to remember our fellow New Yorkers who lost their lives eight years ago.  After dropping my new friend off near a subway, I rumbled not too quietly (with my header equipped engine and performance exhaust…) cross-town on 42nd street.  At every light people stopped and pointed at the Little British Car.  While rolling through a packed Times Square I wondered how many classic car enthusiasts have done what I’m doing right now?  The Triumph’s gleaming new paint and I were bathed in the glow from thousands of lights and thousands of people in America’s largest city.  Two policemen approached the car while sitting in traffic… perhaps a security check?  They only wanted to know what kind of car it was, how fast it goes, and to tell me how cool it looks.  They even made sure a Pedi-cab driver didn’t get too close and scratch the paint!

Yes, owning and driving a classic car in New York City is not for the faint of heart or the thin of wallet, but I can’t think of a better place to share the passion of our special cars with as many people as possible.  It’s the world’s biggest car show; with an attendance of millions every day, and your car wins the People’s Choice Award every time.

If you have a story, photos or videos to share with us, like Aktispeed did above, head on over to My Hemmings.

Special thanks to TA for providing the photo. His driveReport on that 1967 Bizzarrini P538 ran in the July 1008 issue of Hemmings Sports and Exotic Car.